Sales of Menswear Are Up!

Sales of women’s apparel fell 6 percent in the U.S. in the first nine months of 2008. But sales of menswear rose 1 percent. Even Tom Ford, who makes $10,000 fur boots and $990 jeans, said sales are brisk. “Women move from brand to brand depending on who has done a particular trend,” Ford explains. “Men go into a store and they will spend more money because they’ll buy for the whole season. They don’t look at shopping as a recreation the way women do.” So men are creatures of need, and $5,000 Tom Ford suits are necessities. [FT]